Freckles vs. Melasma
Everyone is familiar with freckles. They’re the small pigmented spots that appear on the skin and are most apparent on the face, arms and shoulders. While some people accept their freckles as giving them character and being a part of who they are, others want nothing more than to find an effective freckle removal clinic.
What Causes Freckles?
Freckles are concentrated areas of melanin in the skin. Melanin serves as protection from the sun. It absorbs harmful UVA, UVB, UVC, and blue light rays. These concentrated areas are generally caused by genetics. Red-haired people are particularly prone to freckles, but they can appear in all skin types and colors.
Freckles are rarely harmful, and freckle removal efforts are generally undertaken for cosmetic reasons. Freckles can fade when they’re not exposed to sunlight. Reducing the amount of time you spend in the sun is the first step in reducing the darkness of the pigmentation in freckles. Before you visit a freckle removal clinic, simply try staying out of the sun more often and wearing sunscreen of at least SPF 30 or more. Getting in the habit of wearing a hat that shields your nose and cheeks also reduces the appearance of freckles.
If your freckles aren’t too dark, there are also home remedies you can try to lighten them further. Citric acid from limes or lemons has been known to lighten freckles almost to the point of invisibility. Makeup can help hide freckles. Aloe Vera gel massaged into the skin has also been known to help reduce the darkness of freckles.
Freckles or Melasma?
But before you start taking measures to reduce the visibility of your freckles, make sure they are actually freckles and not melasma.
Melasma is a condition that often appears on a woman’s skin during pregnancy. The condition occurs as blotchy, freckle-like areas on the face that are sometimes referred to as the “mask of pregnancy.” Melasma is most common on the face but can also appear on the neck, arms or other areas of the body. Having facial treatments for melasma soon after giving birth is not advisable, as doctors will advise you to wait and see if it clears up on its own.
Women who have medium to darker skin tones are particularly susceptible to melasma, but it can affect all women. The condition is almost always connected to pregnancy and the reproductive system. For some women, melasma disappears soon after the baby is born or when they discontinue taking birth control pills. Women who are postmenopausal can also develop melasma.
The condition can disappear on its own, or it can last for years. The most common treatment for the condition is to apply sunscreen of SPF 30 or more because the sun is responsible for darkening the pigmented areas of melasma, just as it does with freckles.
Visit Nirunda Clinic for Effective Treatment
Effective treatment for melasma or freckles begins with an appointment at Nirunda Aesthetic Clinic in Bangkok. After an examination, our dermatologists can create a custom program to reduce the pigmentation of freckles or melasma in your skin.
Our skin rejuvenation treatments targeting pigmentation include laser therapy using specific wavelengths of light to target pigmented cells and fade and break them down. Laser therapy is a painless, non-invasive treatment performed in the doctor’s office.
Another option is cryotherapy. This involves freezing the pigmented areas with liquid nitrogen. The freezing process kills the pigmented cells. They eventually fall off and are replaced by new, unblemished skin underneath.
Whichever method the doctor recommends, the aftercare is just as important as the treatment in maintaining the reduction in pigmentation. Repeated exposure to the UV rays of the sun in a tropical environment can undo the treatment's benefits. Regularly applying broad-spectrum sunscreen, wearing clothing that offers protection from the sun, and avoiding sunlight during peak afternoon hours will help ensure the freckle or melasma treatment can remain effective long after its performed.
Nirunda Aesthetic Clinic also offers treatment for a range of other skin issues involving the skin's pigmentation. We offer safe and effective treatment of the following:
- Moles
- Lentigo
- Seborrheic keratoses
- Redness from vessel alterations of the skin
We also offer various anti-aging, skin-tightening, wrinkle reduction and enlarged pore treatments to help your skin look smoother and younger.
To learn more about our wide range of safe and effective skin treatments, please make an appointment for a consultation at Nirunda Aesthetic Clinic.
